54 posts from March 2010

March 21, 2010

Desperate to get some offense going,
Panthers coach Pete DeBoer changed up his first line after they
played together for just parts of two games.

The switch didn't work Saturday against
Buffalo, but Sunday afternoon, DeBoer's tinkering paid off as the
Panthers scored three goals in the opening period and rolled past
Tampa Bay 5-2 at BankAtlantic Center.

Florida's new top line of Stephen
Weiss, Cory Stillman and Nathan Horton accounted for two of the
Panthers first three goals. Meanwhile, David Booth – dropped to the
second line – scored his second goal in three games to give the
Panthers a lead they would not relinquish.

Booth, Weiss and Horton were Florida's
top line at the start of the season, but because of injuries to Booth
(45 games) and Horton (17) the trio hadn't played together save for
the first nine games. During the second period of Saturday's game,
DeBoer changed things up again.

“We're just trying to get something
going,'' DeBoer said after the Panthers snapped their three game
losing streak by beating the Lightning for the third time in four
tries this season. “Booth, we wanted to get some speed with
[Steven] Reinprecht, so we moved him down. You're going to see that
until we start getting some consistent offense. We did that [Sunday].
I hope it carries over.''

DeBoer also changed up his goaltender
on Sunday, going with backup Scott Clemmensen as expected. DeBoer
pulled Tomas Vokoun early in the second period of Saturday's loss to
the Sabres, and Clemmensen played well in relief.

Sunday, Clemmensen was the victim of a
bad Bryan Allen pass as Tampa Bay's Steve Downie intercepted the puck
at the blue line and walked in on Clemmensen uncontested. Allen
responded by smashing his stick on the goal cage.

The Panthers haven't released their
frustration in that way since Keith Ballard went to smash the cage on
Nov. 30 in Atlanta and hit Vokoun in the head instead.

“I didn't even see that,'' Clemmensen
said with a laugh. “But you know what? I was mad at giving up the
goal. Mistakes happen. As a goalie, I really wanted to make the save
for Allen. I had a great read too. I knew he was shooting high-glove.
And he beat me there anyway.''

Florida's Nick Tarnasky and Zenon
Konopka fought twice in the opening period – with Konopka taking an
instigator and game misconduct in the second bout. Florida tied the
game on Horton's long shot (which struck Steven Stamkos' stick before
beating Mike Smith) on the ensuing power play.

Less than five minutes later, Booth
gave Florida its first lead after knocking in a shot from Byron Bitz.
Just 46 seconds later, Stillman backhanded a shot to give the
Panthers a 3-1 lead.

Clemmensen held the Lightning in check
until Stamkos scored on a power play early in the third period. The
Panthers bounced right back with Allen threading a pass to Weiss –
who turned it into his 100th career NHL goal.

More importantly, it gave the Panthers
much needed breathing room against a Lightning team without much
fight left. Tampa Bay has lost seven of eight and slipped behind
Florida in the standings.

“Those are key momentum shifts,''
said Weiss. “It's important for us not to sag when they score when
they cut it one, then get one right away kind of takes the wind out
their sails. Soon we get the fifth and the game is over.''

CAMPBELL OUT

Tarnasky was back in the lineup after
Gregory Campbell was forced to sit out after injuring his foot or
possibly his ankle after being struck by a puck on Saturday. Campbell
took a hard shot off the skate and limped off the ice, returning a
few shifts later. Campbell ended up skating 20 shifts in 12 minutes.

“He's going to make the trip with us
and we'll see what his pain tolerance is,'' said DeBoer, adding that
Campbell was going to be re-examined Monday.

-- The Panthers power play was 1-for-5
on Sunday as DeBoer went with four forwards and a defenseman for the
first time. Florida's top power play unit was Booth, Horton,
Stillman, Weiss and defenseman Bryan McCabe. They were on the ice for
Florida's lone power play goal.

Florida's power play definitely needed
the juice. The Panthers came into the game ranked last in the league.
The Panthers have converted on 42 of 276 chances (15 percent).

“It made a difference, with Horton
back in the lineup,'' said DeBoer. “We talked about it for a while,
but couldn't do it with Horton out. We thought it might open some
things up. It makes a big difference for the power play.''

-- Sunday's win was Florida's 15th at
home this season, keeping it tied with Boston and the Rangers for
fewest in the Eastern Conference.

With both the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers losing two more points in the standings, today's game is just another meeting of teams booking early tee times come April.

As we all learned from Bishop Pickering in Caddyshack, you don't want to play in a storm.

Especially in Florida. Let that be a lesson to ya!

Anyway, on to today's game.

Gregory Campbell took a shot of his skate last night, and while he continued to play, he's out at least for tonight. Word from the Panthers is its a bruised foot, but I heard he fractured his ankle. We'll see if I can get more information after tonight's game.

Also, it looks like Scott Clemmensen will indeed get his second start of 2010 today. This will only be Clemmensen's third start since Dec. 27, 2009.

Panthers in their Pittsburgh/Carolina blues today, Lightning going in its road whites.

-- Panthers currently sit in 14th place in the Eastern Conference, nine points behind the 8th place Bruins. The Lightning are in 12th place in the east, eight points behind the Bs.

No wonder there were two dozen people in the upper deck when warm ups started.

March 20, 2010

With all the former Florida Panthers in
the building Saturday night, it's a shame original goalie John
Vanbiesbrouck couldn't make it.

He might have been asked to play.

Tomas Vokoun was pulled after giving up
a pair of soft goals within the first 23 minutes Saturday night as
the Northeast Division leading Sabres continued their march to the
playoffs with a 3-1 victory over the Panthers at BankAtlantic Center.

Saturday's loss – Florida's third
straight – spoiled the beginning of a reunion weekend of sorts as
players from the team's past gathered to open the South Florida
Hockey Den of Honor on the arena's concourse level.

Vanbiesbrouck, who backstopped
Florida's run to the 1996 Stanley Cup finals, was working a college
hockey playoff tournament in Detroit for television and couldn't
attend the event.

“I didn't think he was good enough
tonight, but it was a spark thing too,'' said coach Pete DeBoer, who
has pulled Vokoun in the second period in two of the past three
games. “It wasn't a good enough first period by anyone, including
our goaltender. I don't analyze my decision. I thought it was the
right thing to do. Clemmensen played well.''

The Sabres got going when Jochen Hecht
drove in on Vokoun and put up a shot that Vokoun got a piece of but
couldn't stop. Early in the second, Patrick Kaleta made it 2-0 when
he fired a shot from the goal line that clipped a diving Vokoun but
still found its way in.

Scott Clemmensen, who has made a grand
total of one start in the 2010 calendar year, was summoned from the
bullpen.

“There was a lucky bounce on the
second goal against Vokoun, but there was a lot of game left,'' said
Clemmensen, who stopped 16 shots but gave up the backbreaking goal to
Mike Grier with 6:11 left. “I went in there to do my best and I
thought we played well.''

Byron Bitz, who missed the past four
games with what is believed to be a groin injury, was back in the
lineup Saturday and paid almost immediate dividends. With the
Panthers trailing 2-0 in the second, Bitz knocked down a shot from
Kamil Kreps in front of the net, turned and pushed the puck past
Buffalo's Ryan Miller.

Bitz, who was acquired from Boston in
the Dennis Seidenberg trade deadline deal, got his first goal as a
member of the Panthers.

“We were sluggish in the first
period, but weathered the storm,'' Bitz said. “That's probably the
best goalie in the league over there and he made some stops.''

With the loss, Florida dropped to 14th in the Eastern Conference as Carolina moved a point ahead. The Panthers are now endanger of finishing last in the entire conference as Toronto has moved to within three points of Florida.

DEN OF HONOR

The Panthers unveiled their 4,000
square foot tribute to hockey in the region on Saturday. The South
Florida Hockey Den of Honor wasn't finished until a few hours before
its grand opening as a number of staffers worked through the night to
make sure it was finished. One said he had been at the arena for 29
straight hours.

By all accounts, the hard work was
worth it. The 'Den' was a major hit.

“This weekend is very special to each
and every one of us,'' said Brian Skrudland, the team's first
captain.

Not only is there plenty of Panthers
memorabilia from throughout the decades on display, but high school
and youth hockey in the area. Each high school team from Broward
County has its jersey on display – including the one worn by Peter
Worrell's North Broward Prep team.

“This can be an inspiration for kids
to see that they can make it to this level,'' said Worrell, who
played for the Panthers from 1997-2003. “And I know they will be
thrilled to come to a game and see their jersey hanging up. And they
get to make fun of their coach when they see all those old
pictures.''

All of the players and coaches –
including Doug MacLean, Scott Mellanby and Paul Laus -- are expected
to attend Sunday's game against the Lightning as well.

March 19, 2010

The big thing going on with the franchise this weekend is its Den of Honor opening on Saturday.

A bunch of former players -- and Doug MacLean -- are in town, so if you see someone who looks kinda familiar tonight in Fort Lauderdale, go ahead and say hello.

And throw a rat their way.

Saturday afternoon, the Panthers will
unveil the South Florida Den of Honor on the main concourse, a 4,000
square feet tribute to not only the Panthers, but all hockey in the
region.

Of course, until H. Wayne Huizenga was
granted an NHL franchise in 1992, there wasn't much hockey to speak
of in South Florida.

“What hockey was here was pretty
sporadic,'' said Randy Moller, who joined the team in its second
season and is the team's radio voice. “It took off once the NHL got
here and grew by leaps and bounds.''

The Panthers new den is an open air
mini Hall of Fame. Images of former and current players are part of
artistic murals wrapping the walls. Highlights and archived footage
play on numerous flat screen televisions. Fans can walk through the
area – which spans four seating sections – and check out
memorabilia in numerous cases.

Most of the area is dedicated to the
Panthers two decades in South Florida – and the original players
aren't the only ones being honored. Former goalie Roberto Luongo has
pieces of his equipment on display as does former captain Olli
Jokinen.

Conceptual jerseys from before the team
played its first game are also on display as are different authentic
and replica trophies won by the franchise over the years.

Each high school that plays hockey in
South Florida has its jersey on display and youth hockey has its own
area as well.

The new den is a major upgrade. It's going to look really nice. I have to give the Panthers credit for this one.

“This concept has been talked about
for a while and the one we had wasn't adequate,'' said Moller. “We
wanted it to be bigger and better. We had less than 90 days to get
this thing going and it has been a labor of love. There have been
hundreds of hours put into this. It is amazing.''

Original goalie John Vanbiesbrouck was
one former player who was critical of the team at the time it
was discovered the old den was taken down, but everyone seems pleased
with the new area. A good number of former players flew in to be part
of the ceremonies. The players and coaches will attend both the
Saturday game against the Sabres and Sunday's 5 p.m. game against the
Lightning.

A few former players who live in the
area – such as broadcasters Bill Lindsay and Moller as well as
Peter Worrell, John Jakopin and Chris Wells – are expected to join
former coach Doug MacLean, Mellanby, Brian Skrudland, Mike Hough and
Paul Laus at the opening celebration.

Season ticket holders and those who
bought special ticket packages will be part of a meet-and-greet with
the players at different times throughout the weekend.

The original Panthers – and those who
played on the team's improbable Stanley Cup Finals team in 1996 –
will be in hot demand. As always.

“I find it hard to believe that I
don't go through a week without someone mentioning 1996 or the rats.
And I'm talking everywhere I go,'' said MacLean, who applied for the
team's vacant general manager position last summer.

“That team kind of gripped the NHL.
People still love that team. It's been a while and it's amazing. I go
to dinner here and people always bring it up. It's a neat experience.
I'm anxious to see everyone. It's always nice to see them and see all
the fans.''

SATURDAY: SABRES AT PANTHERS

When, Where: 7 p.m.; BankAtlantic
Center, Sunrise

TV/Radio: FSNF; WAXY-790

The series: Sabres lead 36-22-4

The game: This is the third meeting
between the two this season with each team winning once. The Sabres
are coming off a 6-2 win at Tampa Bay that snapped a three game
losing streak. The Panthers have lost two straight after failing to
hold onto a 3-0 third period lead in Thursday's 4-3 shootout loss to
the Coyotes.

March 18, 2010

There are a few reasons why the Phoenix
Coyotes are gunning for the top seed in the Western Conference this
season and the Panthers are only a few spots away from last place in
the entire league.

Thursday night offered yet another
example.

Leading by a goal late in the third
period, Florida goalie Tomas Vokoun couldn't field a shot from 105
feet away, the puck skipping off the ice in front of the net before
bouncing off his glove and into the back of the net.

Phoenix's goal
tied the game – one the Panthers led by three going into the period
– and forced overtime where the Coyotes ended up winning 4-3 in a
shootout. The win was Phoenix's seventh straight; the Panthers have
dropped two in a row.

“That's why that team is where
they're at: They find ways to win,'' said coach Pete DeBoer. “You see one of
those [goals] in a season in the NHL in all the games. It is what it
is. For us, it seems like it's Murphy's Law. Whatever can go wrong
does.''

With Nathan Horton back from injury,
the Panthers had their top line intact Thursday for the first time
since October and looked to have a celebratory reunion. But then came
the third period.

Horton, David Booth and Stephen Weiss
had a say in Florida's first three goals, but the visiting
Coyotes scored three in the third as they outshot the Cats 19-6 in
that session. Florida couldn't slow down the red-hot Coyotes as
Phoenix made it a game with two quick goals in the third period. Even
still, it looked like the Panthers would survive, with Ilya Bryzgalov
coming out of his net with 1:03 left.

Radim Vrbata brought the puck up to
center ice and shot it from behind the red line. Unbelievably, the
shot from behind the center stripe got past Vokoun and the game was
tied with 59.7 seconds left.

Vokoun has been part of the league
highlights for his spectacular play all season, but this goal will be
replayed over and over. The small crowd then turned on Florida's MVP,
mockingly cheering his next save before backing him again in overtime
as he turned back a number of tough shots offered by the Coyotes.

“He stops 50 shots a night for us
every freaking game,'' said captain Bryan McCabe. “On our ice,
anything can happen. It was bouncing all night. It was bound to
happen once this year. It was bouncing like a tennis ball. What can
you do?''

Said Horton: “The ice wasn't very
good. It was a bad bounce, a bad break.''

Both Booth (45 games) and Horton (17)
have missed extensive time because of injury. On
Thursday the trio showed the Panthers what might have been as Weiss
and Booth scored with Weiss and Horton assisting on Cory Stillman's
goal – the one that gave the Panthers a 3-0 lead heading into the
final 20 minutes.

The three – dubbed the 'Sunrise
Express' -- each had two goals in the opening nine games before Booth
was knocked out Oct. 24 in Philadelphia.

“It was nice, it felt good out
there,'' said Horton, who had two assists and scored Florida's lone
shootout goal. “There's so much talent, you know you are going to
get the puck and usually something good happens.''

Weiss got the Panthers going at the end
of the first by scoring on a power play from the left circle with 6.7
seconds left for his 99th career goal. Booth made it 2-0 less than
two minutes into the second by redirecting a McCabe shot from in
front of the net. Later in the period, Cory Stillman backhanded a
deflection with Weiss and Horton getting assists.

“We're a different team with Horton
in the lineup, I think you can see that,'' said DeBoer. “We have a
first line that takes some pressure off Stillman and Reinprecht.''

OLESZ STRUGGLING

Things have decidedly stalled for
Rostislav Olesz as he has gone 19 straight games without a single
point.

DeBoer said earlier in the season that
he holds Olesz to a higher standard because of his high draft status
(seventh overall in 2004) and his contract (Olesz signed a six-year
deal worth $3.25 million per prior to the 2008-09 season).

So with Olesz struggling, DeBoer is
obviously not happy. Olesz started on Florida's fourth line Thursday.

“I know I would be frustrated and I
hope he would be,'' he said Thursday morning. “You want to see that
channeled on the ice and see him fight his way through that and not
just surrender and be happy with the spot he's in.''

-- With the Coyotes just a few points
away from the top seed in the Western Conference after finishing 25th
in the league last season, DeBoer says the Panthers can not only
learn from Phoenix's success, but have hope as well. The Panthers
came into the day ranked 27th in the 30 team league.

“That's where we want to get to,'' he
said. “It shows organizations like us that we're not that far
away.''

-- University of Denver goaltender Marc
Cheverie, a Panthers prospect, was named one of the 10 finalists for
the Hobey Baker Award -- college hockey's Heisman Trophy. Cheverie is
24-4-3 with a 1.94 GAA for the top-ranked Pioneers.

Nathan Horton will try to pick up where he left off as he returns to the lineup tonight against Phoenix. It's Horton's first game back since taking a Dennis Seidenberg puck off the leg on Jan. 21 on Long Island.

Horton will be back on a top line with old pals Stephen Weiss and David Booth.

Michal Repik has been sent back to Rochester.

Now, back to basketball...PS: Most players have Kansas winning it all, with a few taking Duke, Kentucky or Syracuse. Pete DeBoer's pick: The Buckeyes of Ohio State.

March 16, 2010

No matter how good Tomas Vokoun has
been playing, if his teammates can't clear the puck deep in their own
zone or flat out turn it over in front of the net, he's not going to
be very effective.

Especially when those miscues and
defensive breakdowns come against the high flying Washington
Capitals.

Vokoun ended up watching the end of
Tuesday's game against the Capitals from the bench and that was just
as well as the Panthers gave Washington one opportunity after
another. As usual, the Capitals took advantage and rolled to a 7-3
victory at BankAtlantic Center.

“We left our goalies hanging out to
dry,'' coach Pete DeBoer said. “There were too many second, third
chances out there. We were too soft. You can't expect to get a
playoff spot in this league when you come out and don't play harder
than the other team – especially against the best team in the
league.''

The Capitals swept the six-game season
series from the Panthers as they collected all 12 available points –
one big reason Washington became the league's first division champion
this season. The Panthers got just one of those 12 points – a big
reason why they are on the outside of the playoff chase watching from
afar.

“In our division, these are big
games,'' captain Bryan McCabe said. “To even go .500 against them
would have put us in a better position. We didn't do that. They
dominated us all year, and that continued tonight.''

Washington outscored the Panthers 33-15
this season – and 23-12 without superstar Alex Ovechkin in the
lineup. The Caps have scored six goals or more in 11 games this
season, three against Florida. Washington came into the night with a
league-high 270 goals – 42 more than second-place Vancouver and 53
more than Pittsburgh.

Ovechkin missed four of Washington's
six games against the Panthers, scoring a goal with an assist in the
two wins he did partake in.

How good has Vokoun been? Tuesday was
his 27th start since Dec. 31. Of those games, he gave up
five goals twice (including Tuesday) and four goals three times.
Vokoun gave up three goals or fewer in 22 of those 27 starts. Of the
five games where Vokoun gave up more than three, the Capitals were
the opponent in three of those games.

Unfortunately for Vokoun, his teammates
haven't given him much offensive support as he went just 12-12-3 in
those 27 games.

Tuesday was more of the same for Vokoun
as the Panthers flailed and whiffed at the puck so often one would
have thought they were taking batting practice against CC Sabathia.

“They take every opportunity they get
and take advantage,'' defenseman Jason Garrison said. “You have to
be very strong defensively against them. We gave up too much and it
cost us too many goals.''

In the first, Washington scored a pair
of goals as Alexander Semin knocked in a puck and Jason Chimera
followed up a rebound.

Florida went into the first break down
2-1 after Steven Reinprecht took a nice pass from Dmitry Kulikov and
raced down the left side and scored from the circle.

After that, it was all Washington. The
Capitals scored four goals in the second period as Florida only
countered with one from Kamil Kreps and the game was over early.
Vokoun was pulled after Brooks Laich scored with 5:54 left in the
second after Bryan Allen (who saved a goal in the first by dislodging
the net and taking the penalty) couldn't clear the puck on a penalty
kill.

That goal made it 5-1 and Vokoun was
mercifully replaced by Scott Clemmensen. Even though Kreps scored
seconds after Clemmensen came in, he didn't have much luck either as
Nicklas Backstrom made it 6-2 on the second shot Clemmensen faced as
Stephen Weiss (minus-3 in the first 40 minutes) failed to get the
puck and move it out.

Michal Repik got Florida's last goal of
the night with 1:33 left.

“It's nice, but it wasn't much help
to the team,'' Repik said. “This was tough.''

The Washington Capitals made their
third and final visit to Sunrise of the regular season on Tuesday
night.

For the second time, the Caps brightest
star wasn't in the lineup.

Alex Ovechkin, the league's leading
scorer, missed his fourth game of the season against Florida on
Tuesday as he served the first of a two game suspension for ramming
Chicago's Brian Campbell.

Ovechkin will return to the Caps lineup
Saturday in Tampa, but Campbell – who suffered a broken clavicle as
well as a fractured rib – needs surgery and is out for the
remainder of the regular season and part of the playoffs.

Ovechkin rammed Campbell from behind a
few feet in front of the end boards. Campbell lost his footing and
slammed into the boards. Washington coach Bruce Boudreau says
Ovechkin is so strong, Campbell just went flying.

“I know my own strength, and it's not
very,'' said Boudreau. “He's 230 pounds and strong as an ox. I
guarantee, he didn't hit the guy to send him into the boards to hit
him. He was pushing, the first man on the forecheck, and then he was
going to the bench. Nine times out of 10, that's not going to
happen.''

Said Ovechkin: "I didn't mean to
make someone injured. But you know, it's a hockey game."

The Panthers had different opinions on
Ovechkin's hit, the suspension and the star's style of play. While
each player and coach interviewed said they enjoy watching Ovechkin
from afar, coach Pete DeBoer says if Ovechkin will change his
hard-charging style “depending on whether he wants to be suspended
multiple times a year.

“We all admire his skill and his
speed and how he plays the game,'' DeBoer continued. “There isn't a
coach out there who doesn't like talent with physical play. But when
guys get seriously hurt, that's unfortunate.''

Ovechkin missed the Capitals 6-2 win
against Florida in Washington on Dec. 3 because he was suspended for
kneeing Carolina defenseman Tim Gleason in the previous game. Ovechkin was hurt for two other games.

According to The Washington Post,
Ovechkin has been fined close to $335,000 this season. His latest
suspension will cost him $232,645.

“He doesn't mean to do it, it's just
his reaction,'' Panthers winger Cory Stillman said. “He plays hard.
He's coming out and he is the star. If you have a young kid growing
up who wants to be a hockey player, you want him to be Alex Ovechkin.
He's complete. He hits, skates. Besides fighting, which he doesn't
have to do, he's the whole package. He does it all."

Ovechkin put out a statement through the team on Tuesday:

"I am very sorry that Brian was
injured and I hope he is able to return to his team soon. NHL hockey
is a physical game. We all play hard every time we are on the ice and
have battles each shift in every game we play so we can do our jobs
and win. As players we must accept responsibility for our actions and
I am no different but I did not intend to injure Brian and that is
why I was disappointed with the NHL's decision yesterday. Every time
I have the honor to play for my team, I will continue to do what I
have done since I was taught to play. I will play hard, play with
passion and play with respect for my teammates, opponents and fans. I
look forward to returning to my team and doing everything I can to be
the best player I can be."

-- DeBoer reiterated that injured
winger Nathan Horton should be back in the Florida lineup sometime
during the current homestand. Horton could return Thursday against
Phoenix.

-- Just walked through the new Den of Honor area; the glass cases and stuff aren't up, but the new blue carpet, the flat screens and the mural wraps are. Looks pretty cool. Should be a nice addition to the arena.

March 12, 2010

DENVER – Five times this season the
Florida Panthers have won three straight games. They've yet to extend
their marginal winning streaks to four.

And that's one of many reasons why the
Panthers will not be part of the Stanley Cup playoffs for an NHL
record-tying ninth straight season and record-breaking 10th year.

Thursday, former Florida goalie Craig
Anderson hammered yet another nail in the Panthers 2009-10 coffin as
he stopped 27 shots to beat his old mates 3-0 in front of a sparse
crowd at Pepsi Center.

The shutout was Anderson's seventh of
the season and 14th of his career.

“This was disappointing. They were
the better team,'' Panthers coach Pete DeBoer said. “The result was
deserved. Both goaltenders played well. We didn't give ours enough
support.''

The Panthers continue to claim they are
in a playoff chase, and mathematically, they are. Barely. After
Boston and Montreal each won on Thursday, the Panthers slipped to
eight points out of the eighth and final playoff spot.

To add to the points problem, Florida
has three teams sitting in front jamming things up. The Panthers only
have 16 games remaining and need to go on a long winning streak to
have any chance of making the playoffs – and they have yet to prove
they can do that.

Losing streaks are another story. The
team has had four losing streaks of four games or more this season.
The Panthers haven't been to the playoffs since being swept in the
opening round of the 2000 postseason.

The Panthers are running out of
daylight – and have a new suitor joining them in their “race.”
Carolina, which started the season with losses in 16 of its first 18
games, won on Thursday and now are tied with the Panthers in overall
points with 64.

“[Thursday] isn't what put us in this
position,'' defenseman Keith Ballard said. “You look back through
the year and losing six or seven in a row, or not showing up some
nights. We put ourselves in this position. But until the numbers say
we're out of it, we're not going with the mentality that we're out of
it.''

Colorado, meanwhile, is in a legitimate
playoff fight and needed a win Thursday to keep up in a crowded
Western Conference. Former Panthers goalie Craig Anderson has been
instrumental in helping the Avs rise up from the conference cellar –
where they resided last season – and into the thick of the
postseason conversation.

Anderson, who started his 22nd straight
game on Thursday, didn't get challenged by his former teammates very
much in the early going. The Panthers went half of the opening period
before registering their first shot of the night, and ended up taking
just five shots in the opening period.

The Avs got a huge lift from Paul
Stastny five minutes into the second period when he knocked a loose
puck past Tomas Vokoun at 4:54. Vokoun went into the second break
down 2-0 as Stastny scored a second goal with 4:39 left in the
period. The Panthers put themselves in a tough spot as Cory Stillman
(serving a bench minor) and Radek Dvorak (roughing) both went into
the penalty box to give the Avs a 5-on-3 advantage.

Stillman had just come out of the bin
when Stastny – camped out and by himself along the goal line –
snapped a shot off a Chris Stewart pass into the net.

Anderson made two good saves on Stephen
Weiss in the first six minutes of the third and ended up stopping 13
in the final 20 minutes. Anderson was able to relax with 3:34 left
when Matt Hendricks drove in and beat Vokoun for the Avs third goal
as the Panthers were slow to get back on defense – bringing sharp
words from Vokoun to his bench.

The Panthers have been shutout seven
times – five since the start of 2010.

“Both goalies were good,'' said
DeBoer. “We didn't do enough for our guy.''

-- Weiss was seen coming out of the
X-ray room at Pepsi Center following the game. He said he was OK but
looked to be in pain.

March 11, 2010

DENVER -- Whenever I come to Denver, I always feel like I'm back in 1996.

Just a few minutes ago, Bill Lindsay was standing in front of this large picture in the press box with a look of disgust on his face.

"That's the one they won against us,'' he said.

Like I didn't know that.

Speaking of 1996, the Panthers are opening the new Den of Honor next Saturday before the game against the Sabres. Since there are two games that weekend, the Panthers will celebrate the Den at both games.

Former players who have confirmed they will attend the weekend celebration are: Paul Laus, Brian Skrudland, Scott Mellanby, Mike Hough, Peter Worrell, John Jakopin, Randy Moller and Lindsay. Coach Doug MacLean will also be there, as will Bill Torrey and trainer Scott Tinkler. John Vanbiesbrouck apparently can't make it. When I hear of other confirmations, will pass them along.

-- Speaking of former Panthers, Craig Anderson seems to have a pretty sweet deal here in Denver.

Anderson was courted
by the Panthers during the summer time, the team saying they hoped
Anderson would return to compete for playing time with Tomas Vokoun
for at least one more season.

Anderson had been there, had done that.
Not long after the free agency period opened on July 1, 2009,
Anderson moved on with his career, signing a two-year deal with
Colorado with the knowledge that he would have a chance to be the
full-time starter with the Avs.

There had been plenty of questions
about Anderson's ability to be a full-time starter, mainly, because
he had never been one before. Anderson has taken to his new role just
fine, thanks, helping keep the youthful Avs in the playoff chase with
a chance to win the Northwest Division title.

Many pundits picked
Colorado to be among the bottom two teams in the conference when the
season started. I had them 14th, just above the last place Coyotes. Yes, the Coyotes are currently ranked fourth in the west.

“When there is no clear cut No. 1
guy, you get to battle and it gives you extra incentive,'' said
Anderson, who came into Thursday's game against the Panthers with a
33-19-5 record with a league-leading 1,701 saves.

“You earn everything you get.
[Vokoun] earned everything he got through his past play and his
current play. I’ve earned what I’ve gotten this year, but I have
to continue to earn it. The moment you falter, someone else is going
to come in and take your job.''

Anderson says he has settled in nicely
in Denver, adding he sometimes looks at the majestic Rocky Mountains
off in the distance as he works out at the team's training facility
and figures “there's nothing better than this.''

A Midwesterner from Illinois, Anderson
liked leaving Panthers practices in shorts and sandals in February,
but says he doesn't mind slipping on the parka before heading to his
car here.

“It's nice having four seasons,'' he
said. “I like seeing some snow on the ground.''

Anderson's success hasn't come as a big
surprise to Panthers coach Pete DeBoer, who wasn't shy with giving
Anderson a chance to play last season. Anderson carried a nice-sized
workload for the Cats last season, starting in a career high 27 games
and stopping 92 percent of his shots.

This season, Anderson has faced more
shots than any other goalie in the league. Playing for the Panthers
helped him ready for that barrage of pucks as he and Vokoun faced
more shots than any other goalie combo the past two seasons.

“He's done a phenomenal job, and I
don't think it's any surprise to us after what he did for us last
year,'' said DeBoer. “It's nice to see him have success –
especially in the Western Conference.''

Anderson's departure – and quick
success out of the box – angered some fans who wanted the Panthers
to do more to keep him in South Florida. Knowing he signed a two-year
deal with the Avs, some of those same fans hope Anderson will return
to the Panthers in the near future. He is 28, after all. But Anderson
doesn't sound like he wants to come back to the Panthers. Been there,
and such.

“As far as I'm concerned,'' Anderson
said, “I have no ties there anymore.''

-- Anderson didn't make it to the end
of his first encounter with the Panthers earlier this season as he
was knocked out of the game after being rolled by Florida defenseman
Keith Ballard. The Panthers ended up winning that game in a shootout.
Anderson says he and Ballard haven't talked – or texted – about
the incident, but Anderson figures it wasn't done with malice.

“Anyone goes out to hurt someone
purposely,'' he said. “The guy was going hard at the net, lost
control. For him, I highly doubt he said he was going to run me. You
have to take it as it goes, the bumps, the lumps. I'm still playing.
It was nothing serious.''

Still, word is some Avs might be targeting Ballard tonight. Will see.

-- The Panthers schedule gets
progressively harder as the season winds to a close. Starting with
the Avs, Florida will play teams currently sitting in a playoff spot
in five straight games – with consecutive games against league
leaders San Jose (Saturday) and Washington (Tuesday).

-- DeBoer said injured winger Byron
Bitz will likely miss Saturday's game at San Jose as well. Michal
Repik replaced Bitz in the lineup on Thursday.

March 09, 2010

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Tomas Vokoun didn't
have much to do during the regulation of Tuesday's game.

Overtime was a different story – and
Vokoun a difference maker.

The Panthers goalie was sharp in
overtime and in the shootout, backstopping Florida to a 3-2 win over
the Wild at Xcel Energy Center. Vokoun only faced nine shots from the
Wild in the first 60 minutes (the team was booed coming off the ice
after the third), but was forced in action in the five minute
overtime as the Wild dominated play in the Florida zone.

Vokoun then stopped all four shots he
faced in the shootout as Cory Stillman's goal in the fourth round won
it for Florida. The 11 shots by Minnesota set a Florida franchise record for fewest in a single game.

“He looked like he wasn't going to
let us lose that game,'' coach Pete DeBoer said of Vokoun. “That's
the kind of saves we need.''

The Panthers have now won three
straight games as Tuesday's win was the 500th victory in franchise
history.

Florida's win was also its first
against the Wild since Minnesota's inaugural season of 2000-01 and
the Panthers first-ever win in the state of Minnesota. The North
Stars moved to Dallas prior to the Panthers first season in 1993-94.

It was a win that was hard to come by,
for sure, as Minnesota scored on two of its first three shots and led
2-0 going into the third period. DeBoer said his message to his team
was that it needed to keep doing what it was doing; Florida, DeBoer
said “deserved the two points” because Florida was dictating play
against the Wild but couldn't beat goalie Niklas Backstrom.

“We were definitely outplaying
them,'' said defenseman Bryan McCabe. “We were creating a lot of
scoring chances, we just weren't scoring. This is a big road trip for
our club. We just need to keep winning. This was a big effort.
Everyone was on board tonight. We knew it was going to come if we
stuck to that program.''

Michael Frolik finally solved the
Backstrom problem just over a minute into the third when he took a
breakaway pass from McCabe and roofed a shot past the Wild goalie.

“We played a good game,'' said
DeBoer. “We kept grinding away even though we weren't getting
rewarded. [Frolik's] goal was big. Up to that point, it looked like
we could shoot all night and not score on Backstrom. I thought he was
fantastic.''

The Panthers kept applying pressure as
the Wild sat back and watched. Midway through the third, Stillman
tied the score as Steven Reinprecht left him a nice shot in the slot.
The Wild, which had seven shots in the opening two periods, had yet
to record a shot in the third to that point. When Minnesota finally
got a shot off with 8:45 left in regulation, the Minnesota crowd
cheered in mock approval.

Florida couldn't get anything else past
Backstrom and went into overtime with a little bit of momentum. But
after a quick rush into the Wild zone, the Panthers struggled to do
anything as Vokoun kept them in the game. Florida not only couldn't
sustain a charge in the Wild zone, but the Panthers barely cleared
the puck out of their own zone.

In the shootout, Stephen Weiss and
David Booth were stopped by Backstrom before surprise shooter Kamil
Kreps failed to get a shot off in Round 3. Vokoun stopped all four
shots he faced before skating off victorious after Stillman snapped
Florida's five-game shootout losing streak.

“Everyone wants to be the hero,''
said Stillman. “I scored and we won and hopefully someone else can
step up in the next game to win it for us.''

March 08, 2010

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Panthers had their final practice in South Florida today before moving on to Minneapolis where they will play the Wild tomorrow.

Michael Seff filled in for me today in Coral Springs. Here is his report. Michael also did a special audio segment, which you can listen to at the bottom of the file.

By MICHAEL SEFF

The Florida Panthers will be tested and
then some as they embark on a three-game Western Conference road trip
this week.

With their postseason hopes fading, the
Panthers will visit a trio of playoff contenders, beginning Tuesday
night with a trip to Minnesota.

If familiarity breeds contempt, perhaps
Florida can benefit from facing teams they have little experience
with. But recent history, especially with the Wild, would suggest
otherwise. The Panthers are 1-7-1 lifetime against Minnesota.

“The Western Conference is tough,”
head coach Pete DeBoer said. “The three teams we're playing are all
very good teams in tough buildings. It'll be a great test for us.

“I'm excited, and I think the guys
are excited to get out on the road. At least early in the season, we
played some real good hockey on the road. We've gotta get back to
doing that again.”

Easier said than done, however. The
Colorado Avalanche, Thursday's opponent, have 80 points and trail the
Vancouver Canucks by just two points in the Northwest Division.

And then there's the San Jose Sharks,
Saturday's foe. All they've done is rack up 93 points, two better
than the Chicago Blackhawks for best in the West.

“It's going to be a challenge for us,
obviously,” winger Gregory Campbell said. “But I think we're
looking forward to it. We're going into it with some confidence,
which is good.

“For us it's about the two points.
They're not divisional or conference games, so it doesn't matter how
we get those two points.”

-- Ballard leaves practice early

Defenseman Keith Ballard left Monday's
morning skate early, but DeBoer would not elaborate on what the
injury was.

“He felt a little strain on
something. So we'll have a better idea after [getting it checked
out], but I think he'll be alright.”

Nicks and bruises are common at this
time of year, which might also explain center Nick Tarnasky's swollen
nose, suffered in Saturday's 4-1 win over Carolina.

“He took one off the nose and got a
little bit of a nosebleed, and it swelled up a little bit. But he was
fine. He finished the game, no problem.”

-- Homecoming for duo

Ballard is a native Minnesotan, but he
won't be the only Panther making a homecoming of sorts on Tuesday.

Fellow defenseman Jason Garrison played
collegiately at the University of Minnesota Duluth, so it's
understandable that he has been a popular figure around those parts
as Tuesday's game nears.

“I've had a lot of guys contact me
over the last week,” Garrison said. “I think I'm probably going
to have about 15 to 20 people at the game, so I'm pretty excited.”

The Canadian-born Garrison also knows
just how big hockey is in Minnesota.

“When I first got there, I couldn't
believe how big [Minnesota] was for hockey,” he said. “It
reminded me of back home. The high school hockey there is huge, the
college is huge, and the pro is huge. Everybody's a hockey fan.”

-- Three cheers for McCabe

The recent play of defenseman Bryan
McCabe has not gone unnoticed, as the 14-year veteran was named third
star of the week.

McCabe tallied eight points over three
games, with one goal and seven assists. He credits the two-week
Olympic break as helping him get re-energized.

“I think mentally it was a big thing
just to get away from the rink for 10 days,” he said. “I think
everyone's come back with a little more spark and a little more jump
in their game.”

Colorado's Chris Stewart and Tampa
Bay's Steven Stamkos were named first and second stars, respectively.